How to Relieve Kidney Pain

This article was co-authored by Victor Catania, MD. Dr. Catania is a Board Certified Family Medicine Physician in Pennsylvania. He received his MD from the Medical University of the Americas in 2012.

There are 27 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

Your kidneys are located in your upper abdominal area near your back muscles.[1] If you experience pain in your back between your ribs and your buttocks, or even down your sides into your groin area, you may be having kidney pain.[2] Talk to your doctor right away if you have kidney pain, as it can be a symptom of several serious medical conditions.[3] Treating your kidney pain will depend on its cause, and your doctor can make the best recommendations for your situation.[4]

Drink plenty of fluids. This is the single most important thing to relieve kidney pain. You should drink between two to three liters of water per day when healthy, but you may need more to help you pass kidney stones.[5] Water helps wash away bacteria and dead tissues from the kidney. Stagnant urine is an excellent medium for bacterial growth. By drinking plenty of water, you can create a continuous flow of water through the kidney which prevents bacteria from growing and multiplying.[6]

A small kidney stone (<4mm) may also be passed spontaneously with urine if the flow is adequate.

Limit your intake of coffee, tea, and cola to one to two cups per day.[7]

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Get plenty of rest. Sometimes bed rest can be helpful in reducing pain.[8] If your pain is caused by a kidney stone or kidney injury, excessive movement or exercise could cause your kidney to bleed.[9]

Apply heat to reduce the pain. A hot pad or warm cloth may be applied to the site of pain for temporary relief. Heat improves blood flow and reduces nerve sensation, both of which reduce pain. Heat may be particularly helpful if your pain is caused by a muscle spasm.[11]

Do not apply too much heat, as this could cause burns. Use a heating pad, soak in a hot bath, or use a cloth that’s been soaked in hot (but not boiling) water.

Use analgesic medications. There are some over-the-counter painkillers that can fight kidney pain. Acetaminophen/paracetamol is commonly recommended for pain caused by infections and kidney stones.[12] Consult with your doctor before taking any pain medication, as some can increase kidney problems or interact with other medical conditions.[13]

Do not take high-dose aspirin. Aspirin can increase the risk of bleeding and can worsen any vascular obstruction, like a kidney stone.

NSAIDs can be dangerous if you have decreased kidney function. Do not take ibuprofen or naproxen if you already have a kidney condition, unless it's recommended by your doctor.[14]

Consult with your doctor about antibiotics. Antibiotics should be used if you have any kind of urinary tract infection. Kidney stones can cause stagnant urine to get backed up in the kidney, which in turn causes bacterial growth and may lead to an infection. If this is the case, your doctor will prescribe you with an antibiotic.[15]

Common antibiotics used in this type of infection are Trimethoprim, Nitrofurantoin, Ciprofloxacin, and Cefalexin. In mild to moderate infection, men should be treated for 10 days while women should be treated for three days.

Always take the full course of antibiotics prescribed to you, even if you begin to feel better and your symptoms disappear.

Avoid excess vitamin C. Vitamin C is generally helpful to the human body; particularly when it comes to the healing of wounds and bone formation. However, excess vitamin C gets converted to oxalate in the kidney. This oxalate can then turn into a stone, so avoid getting excess vitamin C if you are prone to developing kidney stones, or have a history of stones in your family.[16]

People who are prone to developing calcium oxalate stones should limit their consumption of oxalate-rich foods such as beets, chocolate, coffee, cola, nuts, parsley, peanuts, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries, tea, and wheat bran.[17]

Drink cranberry juice regularly. Cranberry juice is an amazing natural remedy for kidney and urinary tract infections. It starts to act within eight hours of consumption by preventing bacteria from increasing and colonizing. It also helps to dissolve struvite and brushite kidney stones.

Avoid cranberry juice if you have an oxalate stone, as it contains significant amounts of vitamin C and is high in oxalates.

See a doctor if you think you may have a kidney infection or pyelonephritis. Kidney infection begins as a urinary tract infection and progresses to your kidneys. It can cause permanent damage to the kidneys if it’s not treated promptly.[18] One or both kidneys may be infected, causing a deep, dull pain in the abdomen, back, side, or groin. If you have the following symptoms, seek medical attention as soon as possible:[19]

Fever, possibly with chills

Frequent urination

A strong and persistent urge to urinate

Burning or pain while urinating

Pus or blood in the urine (may be red or brownish)

Foul-smelling or cloudy urine

Seek emergency medical attention if you have these symptoms combined with nausea and vomiting

Talk to a doctor if you think you have kidney stones. Kidney stones are one of the main causes of kidney pain. The pain starts when the kidney tries to get rid of the stone and has a problem doing so. This sort of pain generally comes in waves.[20]

Kidney stones often manifest in sudden, extreme pain in the lower back, side, groin, or abdomen.[21]

Kidney stones may also cause other symptoms, including pain in the penis or testicles, difficulty urinating, or a frequent, urgent need to urinate.[22]

Go to the emergency room if you think your kidney may be bleeding. The bleeding could be caused by trauma, disease, or drugs. Some bleeding disorders may lead to blood clot formation in the kidney. When the clot impairs blood supply to any part of the kidney, the pain starts. This sort of pain also comes in waves but is generally felt in the flank. The flank is located between the upper belly area and the back.[23]Other symptoms of kidney injury include:[24][25]

I sleep on my left side. Every morning my right flank hurts when I try to rise from bed, but I have no pain during the day. What could be causing this?

Community Answer

It could easily be a problem with a mattress that is too soft (or too hard), and your spine and hips are not aligned well while you sleep. New mattresses are expensive, but a temporary solution might involve putting a board under your top mattress and sleeping with a pillow between your knees. If you continue to have problems, seek the opinion of a doctor, preferably an osteopath. They can evaluate if you are having issues with tight hip flexors, osteoarthritis, etc.

Tips

“Natural” remedies such as dandelion, apple cider vinegar, rose hips, and asparagus are not supported by science as helpful treatments for kidney stones. Stick to drinking plenty of water and see your doctor for other options.[26][27]

Reader Success Stories

VV

Vijay Varma

Oct 23, 2016

"I'm facing severe renal pain for the last 14 days. Your content and tips relaxed me and rendered a zeal, energy of hope to not worry. Reading tips made me acknowledge that I'm not at all in any bad stage of my kidney and also showed me how to take care of my renal & what the cause of pain. Your tips gave me a positive ray of hope. Thanks a lot"..." more

OA

Omar Abdi

Mar 7, 2017

"I feel more pain front right side down on the chest. When I read this article, I started drinking more water, and then I felt less pain this time. I am not able to go the doctor, it is night. Thanks for this article, wikiHow."..." more

RA

R.J. Aerolado

May 5, 2016

"Applying heat to the flank areas, wasn't sure if heat would help the pain or cause more pain. The heating pad does seem to help relieve the pain allowing me to rest better. Thank you for your helpful advice."..." more

VL

Victoria Langer

Aug 30, 2016

"I tried the lemon juice with parsley water and honey. I also ate watermelon before anything else in the morning. Your tips were great. Thank you."..." more

A

Anonymous

Dec 24, 2016

"The tips that helped me specifically were knowing which over the counter pain relief medicines to avoid, and the suggestion of applying heat."..." more

A

Anonymous

Aug 12, 2016

"I just found out I have a kidney infection yesterday and I really wanted to know more about it. Thank you for the wonderful advice. :-)"..." more

NN

Nompilo Ngcobo

Jun 19, 2018

"Knowing that there can be something that can help me ease my kidney pain, such as cranberry juice, was helpful!"

TW

Terri Williams

Dec 14, 2017

"Knowing how to use the heat for the pain, and drinking freshly-squeezed lemons."

A

Anonymous

Sep 9, 2016

"Learned the natural remedy of flushing out kidney stones with lots of water."